Powers/Abilities: Able to generate heat and flame, igniting the entire
surface of his body - immune to same. Able to fly.

History: (Marvel Comics #1, ga) In 1939 scientist Phineas T.
Horton created an android, "a synthetic man--an exact replica of a human
being". An almost perfect duplicate of a human being, it only had one flaw
- when exposed to oxygen, it's skin would burst into flame, though this fire
didn't damage it. Horton called a conference to display his invention, but
upon seeing it's fiery state, the onlookers dubbed it a Human Torch, and
demanded it be destroyed lest it become a menace. Horton reluctantly agreed,
but could not bring himself to destroy it; instead, he sealed it inside a
concrete block. After a while air leaked in, and the Torch's ignition freed
it from it's confinement. The confused android caused havoc as it ran through
New York, but eventually it managed to put out it's flames by immersing itself
in a swimming pool. The Human Torch (as he was now known), naive and innocent,
briefly fell under the sway of the pool's owner, Sardo, a criminal, but swiftly
realised Sardo was evil. The android returned to Horton, only to discover
that he had visions of becoming rich by displaying the Torch like a sideshow
freak. The Torch accidentally unleashed his flame on Horton, badly burning
him, and for a long time he wrongly believed he had killed his creator (in
the Golden Age he had, but this was retconned out for the Silver Age)).
The Torch fled, promising himself "Ill be free and no one will
ever use me for selfish gain-or crime."

(Marvel Mystery Comics #2-7, ga) The Torch gained control of his powers
by using an oxygen dampener around his neck, then adopted the identity of
Jim Hammond and got a job as a police officer.

(Marvel Mystery Comics #8-10, ga) The Human Torch faced the rogue
superhuman known as the Sub-Mariner when he rampaged through New York. It
would be the first of many battles.

(Marvel Mystery Comics #11-92, ga) No synopses available.

(Human Torch #1, ga) The Human Torch encountered a boy with a natural
immunity to fire working in a circus. Discovering the boy, Toro, could also
create flame in a similar manner to the Torch himself, the hero made Toro
his sidekick.

(Giant-Size Invaders #1, Invaders I #1-41, Invaders Annual #1) The
Human Torch joined the Invaders, a group of Allied heroes who were to take
the fight to the Axis forces. Alongside them he battled the Red Skull, the
Super-Axis, the Iron Cross and many more. At one point his type-neutral blood
was used to give a life-saving blood transfusion to Lady Jacqueline Falsworth,
with the side-effect of giving her superhuman powers, which she would use
alongside the Invaders as Spitfire.

(Invaders II #1-4) The Invaders battled American heroes who had gone
over the Nazi cause, the Battle-Axis. The Torch was shocked to discover one
of the Battle-Axis, Volton, was another of Horton's androids.

(All-Winners Comics #1-13, 17-18, ga) No synopses available.

(What If? I #4) As the war in Europe was coming to an end, the Torch
and Toro invaded Berlin itself, where they entered Hitler's bunker. When
Hitler attempted to set off a bomb which could have destroyed much of the
city, the Torch incinerated the dictator.

Later the Torch returned to America, where he was summoned to the White House.
There he and some of his fellow heroes were informed of the apparent deaths
of Captain America and Bucky, and introduced to those heroes successors.

(Captain America Annual #6) At the end of the war, the Invaders travelled
to Japan to destroy and solar-powered prototype tank.

(What If? I #4) After the end of the war, the Invaders agreed to stay
together at the request of the President, but changed their name to the
All-Winners Squad.

(What If? I #4) The Torch was present when the android Adam II attempted
to assassinate a young and up-coming politician, a fight in which one Captain
America lost his life (the Spirit of '76), and another took up the mantle
(the Patriot).

(She-Hulk II #22) The All-Winners Squad encountered the She-Hulk,
a heroine who had travelled back in time, while trying to recover a stolen
nuclear weapon.

(Human Torch #32-35, ga) With Toro caring for his sick foster mother,
the Torch spent an unspecified period working alongside Sun Girl.

(Men's Adventures #27, ga, bts) Toro returned to working with the
Torch.

(Citizen V and the V-Battalion #1) Alongside the rest of the All-Winners
Squad, the Torch met with the Destroyer, who suggested forming an organisation
to hunt down Nazi war criminals and prevent another dictator like Hitler
from gaining power. Some of the Squad supported the idea, but the Torch was
wary of what such an agency might develop into.

(bts) In 1949 the All-Winners Squad disbanded.

(Men's Adventures #27-28; Human Torch Comics #36-38, ga) The Torch
and Toro were ambushed by criminals using a chemical supplied by the Soviet
Union. The chemical left them powerless, and paralysed the Torch. Believing
him dead, the crooks buried him in the desert, then handed Toro over to the
Communists as payment, who brainwashed him. In December 1953 an atomic bomb
test near where the Torch was buried revived the android, and boosted his
powers to a new level. He tracked down the criminals, found out what had
happened to Toro, and rescued his sidekick. For a couple of years, they
adventured together again.

(Fantastic Four Annual #4) By 1955 the Torch's powers were overloading
thanks to the radiation he had absorbed. Rather than become a threat to mankind,
he said his farewells, and went out into the desert where he tried to commit
suicide by releasing all his flame in one gigantic explosion. Instead of
dying, he was once more left inert.

His body was eventually found by the Mad Thinker, who reactivated him under
his control, then sent him to fight a new Human Torch, Johnny Storm of the
Fantastic Four, a man mutated by cosmic rays. The android Torch battled his
successor, but eventually broke free of the Thinker's control. By the end
of the battle, he was once more believed dead, though this time he received
a proper burial. Some time afterwards it was believed that his corpse was
used as the basis for creating a new artificial human, the Vision (complicated
story).

(Avengers West Coast #50-54, 56-58, 63-65, Avengers West Coast Annual
#4, 5, Avengers Spotlight #30) Having come to doubt the origins of the
Vision, the Avengers' west coast branch checked the Human Torch's grave.
They discovered the Torch within, and successfully reawoke him.

(Avengers West Coast #83) The Torch lost his powers.

(Namor #9-12, Namor Annual #1) Jim Hammond went to work for his oldest
friend (and oldest foe), Namor the Sub-Mariner, taking over the day to day
running of Oracle, Inc., his surface world business empire.

(Citizen V and the V-Battalion: Everlasting #4) Jim Hammond assumed
control of the V-Battalion, taking over from the Destroyer.

(Invaders III #1-on) The Thin Man recruited the Torch, his powers
gradually returning, to his newest team of Invaders.